F. Gregory Gause III is a distinguished scholar specializing in Middle Eastern international relations, particularly focusing on the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf. He is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C., and serves as Professor Emeritus of International Affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, where he held the John H. Lindsey ’44 Chair until his retirement in January 2025.

He earned a PhD in Economics from University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, where he later became a lecturer and served as Vice-President (1994-1999). Later he was appointed Professor and Head of Economics Department at Galatasaray University in Istanbul from 2002 onward; now Professor Emeritus at Galatasaray University and Sciences Po Paris. He is the Co-Founder and Editorial Director of Turkey’s publishing house, İletişim Yayınları (founded 1982), and editorial board member of the sociopolitical journal Birikim.

Dr. Abbas Kadhim is a prominent Iraqi-American scholar and policy expert specializing in Middle Eastern affairs, particularly Iraq, Iran, and the Gulf region. He currently serves as a Resident Senior Fellow and Director of the Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council, a role he has held since 2015.

Dr. Akeel Abbas is an Iraqi academic and journalist specializing in cultural studies, identity politics, and democratization in the Middle East. He holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from Purdue University. His academic focus encompasses modernity, democratization, the politics of identity, and human rights, with a particular emphasis on Iraqi and regional dynamics.

He is a renowned French political scientist, widely recognized for his groundbreaking work on political Islam, secularism, and the evolving relationship between religion and culture in both the Middle East and the West.

Michael Knights is the Jill and Jay Bernstein Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, specializing in the military and security affairs of Iraq, Iran, and the Gulf states. He is cofounder of the Militia Spotlight platform, which offers in-depth analysis of developments related to Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. Knights has traveled widely in Iraq, Yemen, and the Gulf states, and regularly briefs U.S. government policymakers, congressional committees, and U.S. military officers on regional security affairs. He has worked extensively with local military and security agencies on the ground in Iraq, the Gulf states, and Yemen.

He is a French geographer renowned for his extensive research on Iran’s social political, and urban landscapes. Hourcade is an Emeritus Research Director at the French CNRS, and is affiliated with the Centre de Recherche sur le Monde Iranien (CERMI). He previously served as the Director of IFRI from 1978 to 1993 and led the research groupe “Monde iranien” ar CNRS from 1993 to 2005.

Academic, Doctor in Geopolitics from Paris 8 University, authorized to supervise research, he is a professor of International Relations (PSB) and a lecturer at Sciences-Po Paris. He has also recently published La Guerre mondiale n’aura pas lieu (The World War Will Not Take Place), published by Odile Jacob.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is an Iranian-American political scientist, scholar, and human rights activist specializing in Middle Eastern affairs and U.S. foreign policy. He is the president of the International American Council and serves on the advisory board of the Harvard International Review. Dr. Rafizadeh has taught at several universities, including the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of South Florida, and has conducted research at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Lyna Ouandjeli is a researcher at the European Institute for Studies on the Middle East and North Africa (EISMENA). A consultant specializing in conflict analysis, international law, and geopolitics in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Sahel, she has led research projects and facilitated dialogues in France and Iraq. Holding degrees in European law, international relations, and conflict resolution/arbitration, her work combines academic rigor with applied practice. Trilingual in French, English, and Spanish, and currently improving her Arabic, she brings together strong analytical depth with the ability to produce accessible, high-quality policy and research analyses and narratives.

He is currently a professor at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and an affiliate professor at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy. At EUI, he co-led the “Syrian Trajectories: Challenges and Opportunities for Peacebuilding” project from 2022 to 2024. Daher holds two doctorates: one in Development Studies from SOAS, University of London (2015), and another in Political Science from the University of Lausanne (2018).

Her work focuses on the challenges facing women’s participation in Iraq’s political life and civil society organizations, particularly in the post-2003 period. She analyzes obstacles such as gender discrimination, lack of institutional and financial support, weak policies, and uninspiring legislation. Additionally, she addresses the consecutive social and political challenges that have exacerbated this discrimination. In her analyses, Hiyam Ali proposes a set of recommendations and possible paths for public policies and civil society to improve and consolidate women’s positions within the current Iraqi political scene.

He is a Belgian historian and futurist who specializes in regional development, foresight, and institutional evolution, especially in the context of Wallonia (Belgium). He is a leading figure in both academic and policy-oriented circles.

Zakaria Taha is a senior lecturer at the Université Grenoble Alpes and director of the Center for Oriental Studies and Research (CREO) within the ILCEA4/UGA laboratory. A political scientist specializing in the Middle East, particularly Syria, he recently co-edited, with Alicia Fernández García, the book States and Societies in the Middle East and North Africa: Revolutions, Conflicts, Territories, published by L’Harmattan in 2024.

Denis Bauchard is a seasoned French diplomat and expert in Middle Eastern and North African affairs. A graduate of Sciences Po Paris and the École nationale d’administration (ENA), he has held prominent positions both in government and key international institutions.

Sarah-Anne Rennick is a political scientist whose work centers on youth activism, social movements, and democratic transitions in the Arab world. She holds a dual PhD in Political Science from Lund University and the EHESS (École des hautes études en sciences sociales). She is the Deputy Director for Research and head of the Youth as Political Actors program at the Arab Reform Initiative in Paris.

She is an Iraqi Yazidi gynecologist who treated and helped thousands of Yazidi women victims of ISIS. She received the International Women of Courage Award by the US State Department, the SOLIDAR Silver Rose Award, the Franco–German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law amongst other distinctions. She is the founder of Hope Makers, an NGO offering support and psychological aid in Iraq.

He is an Iraqi-American scholar and policy expert specializing in governance, energy politics, and democratic reform in Iraq—particularly in the Iraqi Kurdistan region. He is now the President of the American University of Iraq-Sulaymaniyah since mid-2024.

Hussam is a Syrian investigative journalist and activist originally from Raqqa, widely recognized for his courageous frontline reporting on human rights violations, jihadist networks, and war crimes since the onset of the Syrian revolution in 2011.

He is an Iraqi academic, author, and human rights advocate renowned for his work on religious and ethnic diversity in Iraq. He serves as an Assistant Professor in the College of Political Science at Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad.

He is an is a prominent Iraqi political analyst and academic, currently serving as a professor of public policy at the University of Baghdad. He is also the head of the Iraqi Center for Political Thinking. Dr. al-Shammari is widely recognized for his insightful analyses on Iraq’s political dynamics, regional relations, and security challenges.

Ido Levy is an associate fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a PhD candidate at American University’s School of International Service. His research focuses on terrorism, military operations, and the Middle East and Africa. His work has appeared in NBC, The Hill, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Terrorism and Political Violence, Modern War Institute, Irregular Warfare Initiative, and other outlets.

He is an Iraqi political analyst and researcher specializing in Iraqi and Middle Eastern affairs. He is a consultant for the Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies (ICSS), based in Amman, and has contributed to various analyses and reports on Iraq’s political landscape.

He is an Iraqi researcher specializing in international relations, national security, and Middle Eastern geopolitics. He currently serves as a professor at the College of Political Science at the University of Mosul, Iraq .

She is a political scientist specializing in Middle Eastern studies, with a particular focus on Kurdish movements, nationalism, and social movements in Turkey. She currently serves as a Teaching Fellow in Political Science at the Institut Catholique de Paris and holds a Visiting Research Fellowship in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London.

He holds the position of Professor Emeritus at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) and has served as the Rector of the Montpellier Academy. Chapuisat is also a founding member of the Association Française des Amis de la Science (AFAS) in Montpellier, where he has been involved in organizing conferences and promoting scientific discourse.